Unforgettable by Rosio Flynn

In June I gave away two copies of Rosio Flynn's beautiful address, birthday and anniversary book Staying in Touch. Rosio has just published another gorgeous book, this time a guest book, Unforgettable. This book also features Rosio's serene paintings of Buddhas and her quotes relating to friendship and is lovingly produced in honour of all the people she has met through the years.

Rosio, who was born in Peru but moved to Australia when when she was 18 and has lived in Singapore for the past 8 years, has grown to understand how important friendship is, especially when living far from family.

She says, "I created this guest book to remind us of all the great times we have shared together. Unforgettable will keep memories of all special times in your life and in your home, like birthdays, anniversaries, farewells or simply getting together with family and friends to share a meal...I hope it will become a cherished store of memories to share with family and friends for years to come."

The book has ample space for your guests to write messages and anecdotes as well as space to include photos and keepsakes. It is a beautiful way to keep those special memories safe and unforgettable. It would also be a wonderful gift, especially during this festive time.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Unforgettable, which is selling for S$68, please leave a comment after this post telling me what friendship means to you. I will draw a winner randomly on Monday 13th December.

The kids will love the fun activities planned at The Polliwogs this festive season, including Xmas tree decoration every Wednesday and Thursday at 4pm. Santa Claus will be visiting on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (24-25th December) so don't forget your camera!

Join The Polliwogs' Facebook Fan Page here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=82737441609 and start uploading your favourite Polliwogs snaps for a chance to win great prizes.

Christmas activites will run until December 31st so please visit the Polliwogs website for more information on this premier play centre.

image By ღ ~CHARMERS~ ღ

Congratulations to UmmAsad, who has won the beautiful book Unforgettable by Rosio Flynn. His thoughts on friendship were: "Friendship means sharing the good news and the bad." Thanks very much.

Now I need to let you all know that my family and I are returning to Sydney, Australia. We have lived in Singapore five years, and before that Beijing for three and Hong Kong for two, so after ten years as expats it is our time to return home.

The children have never really lived in Australia so I am a little anxious about how they will fit in with the local school kids-with their mixed-up accents and well-traveled ways, I hope they wont feel too strange. I do, however, think that showing them a bit of the world and having a variety of experiences is the best education they can have.

We have had a wonderful time here in Singapore and have made some great friends. That is always the hardest part-the goodbyes, and I am not looking forward to the final farewells. We will miss Singapore sorely.

I want to say thank you to all my readers, fans and sponsors. Writing this blog has been a wonderful experience for me and I will miss it with all my heart. Not that I will be closing it down- the many posts I have written still get plenty of traffic and perhaps some of you may be interested in what is happening in Australia!

At any rate, the blog will stay open, I am just not sure how often it will be updated, especially at first when we will be busy settling down. I would love any ideas/suggestions from you and of course I will stay in touch with what is happening in Singapore.

So have a very Merry Christmas everyone and best wishes for the New Year.

Would you like your kids to think outside the box and experience the rich cultures and diversity of the world we live in? If so, this holiday camp will give them something exciting to chew on. Worldly Ys is holding five-day holiday camps for 8-12 year olds this December, in which the children will learn about the cultures of four different countries through multi-sensory exploration.

For each of the first four days of the camps, the children will learn about a different country and it's people, food, language artistic forms, music and culture. On the fifth day the campers come together and share their experiences with an audience. The countries they will be exploring are Italy, Argentina, Croatia and Japan.

The organisers aim to kindle an interest in the children to learn new languages as well as getting the kids involved in new textures and preparation of the food of these countries. A national from the country being explored will have tea with the children to share some of their local customs.

Three camps are scheduled, starting 29th November, 6th December and 13th December, 2010. A special introductory price of S$780 per child (or S$730 if you sign up 2 or more children) includes gourmet food and snacks daily as well as all materials and instruction, a Worldly Y t-shirt, daily goodie bags and refreshments for parents on performance day.

Sound interesting? Contact Worldly Ys on 65-83888904 and visit their website at The Worldly Ys for more information.

The Magical Teapot delighting airport visitors at Terminal 3's Departure Hall

This festive season, celebrate a truly magical Christmas at Singapore Changi Airport with a string of fun-filled activities for the entire family! The Christmas fantasy theme involves the creation of a Christmas wonderland with whimsical trees and fantasy characters.

A magical teapot features right in the middle of Terminal 3’s Departure Hall where airport visitors can experience hourly light-ups complete with exciting effects, and a chance to win great prizes. At hourly intervals from 7 to 10pm on weekdays and 1 to 10pm on weekends, colourful balls will emerge from the magical teapot. Participants with balls of the winning colour, to be announced after the balls are dispensed, will win attractive prizes such as air tickets, F&B vouchers and more.

Performers entertaining travellers at Changi Airport's Transit Malls

Children will be delighted to hear that the popular Christmas Fantasy Castle will be making a return. Children can have a go on the 17 metres wide and eight metres tall bouncy castle at Terminal 3's Departure Hall from December. All they need is to present a receipt with any amount spent at Changi Airport. The castle will be open from noon to 10pm daily at Terminal 3’s Departure Hall Row 11.

Airport visitors queueing to redeem prizes from the Magical Teapot prize giveaway

Travellers will also be entertained by daily song and dance performances by Fantasy Characters donning fanciful costumes and street magicians in Changi’s transit malls. Shoppers will also win exclusive Changi premiums from Christmas Fantasy Gift Houses located across the terminals with a minimum spend at Changi’s retail and dining outlets.

Avid shoppers are in for a treat this holiday season. Introducing blogshops@Changi, a blogshop bazaar retail concept at Terminal 3’s B2 Mall will feature three thematic retail zones offering ladies’ fashionwear, kids’ merchandise, as well as gadgets and gift items from popular blogshops. From 4 December 2010, Blogshops@Changi will operate on weekends from 10am to 11pm.

We've all heard the tag "A Pet is for Life", which means not buying a cute puppy or kitten on a whim. With pet ownership comes responsibility and the needs of the pet have to be met. Some people forget that a dog or cat can live a long time, and they really become part of the family.

Pet ownership has become hugely popular in Singapore and if you own an animal it's best to be well informed about how best to look after your furry friend (or not so furry in some cases).

If you want to learn more about your pet, or if you are thinking about getting one but need some advice, the Responsible Pet Ownership Roadshow, hosted by Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) is a great opportunity.

You will be able to get a free basic pet examination by a vet, listen to some talks and workshops about responsible pet ownership and pet health care and enjoy the Healthy Coat (Saturday) and Bright Smile Competitions (Sunday) for dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits and Guinea pigs. Best of all, you will be able to show off your own gorgeous pet. All those cats, dogs rabbits and who knows what else under one roof will surely make for an exciting couple of days.

For more information go to PetsforLife.com.sg Download the pdf for a full schedule of events on both days.

Head down to the Philatelic Museum this Friday for a free day of craft activities and exhibitions. If you and your kids haven't visited this little museum yet it is well worth it and the kids will love the creativity and thought that goes into the activities. Happy Deepavali!